**Cody Gakpo has started the 2026/27 season in impressive form, but his reaction to the personal tragedy and tribulation he has endured over the last few months is what deserves praise.**
It’s not an exaggeration to say that Gakpo had the most difficult year of his professional career.
It started a year ago with the death of his teammate and friend, Diogo Jota.
That would have been enough to rank at the top for the most difficult things to process and deal with.
Then, he endured the most criticism of his career so far for the way he played last season.
Then, and most tragically, he and his partner, Noa, shared that they had suffered the unimaginable loss of their unborn son during pregnancy.
He was then eliminated from the World Cup on penalties by Morocco despite scoring the only goal in regular time.
Then, he was told he could leave Liverpool to join Manchester City before Liverpool had to pull the plug due to not being able to sign a replacement.
Yet, and this is incredible, he has reportedly acted with grace and humility throughout all of this. Very few people are able to stay true to their character during any one of these challenges, and Gakpo has weathered it all while standing tall.
He has my undying respect for this.
Speaking on [the Transfer Insider podcast](https://www.footballinsider247.com/liverpool/im-told-this-is-how-cody-gakpo-really-feels-about-being-denied-man-city-move-by-liverpool), Pete O’Rourke explained: _“Gakpo is such a versatile player for Liverpool, and I think that’s the key. Liverpool didn’t really want to lose that._
_“In the end they decided to keep Cody Gakpo and that just shows that Andoni Arreola didn’t really want to lose the Dutchman at that stage of the transfer window._
_“But Gakpo is a good professional; he’ll get his head down and despite that interest from Manchester City and the potential of a move there._
_“I’m told he is keen to get on with things at Liverpool, to do his best whenever he’s called on, and to remain as a key part of Andoni Iraola’s plans for this season._
_“He’s still under a long-term contract at Anfield until 2030, so there are no concerns over him that he might be unsettled or anything like that.”_
Gakpo is exactly what we all hope for in a Liverpool player
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It’s true that Gakpo wasn’t very good last season.
Then again, who was?
Even the great Mohamed Salah was a shadow of his normal self.
I defy anyone who doesn’t think that the loss of Jota was a massive reason for the underperformance of a team that won the Premier League the season before.
Arne Slot’s tactical decisions didn’t help, but the Dutchman was coaching a team grieving the loss of a person who many inside the club have said was the most likeable player in the squad.
I’m so glad Gakpo is rewriting his story at Liverpool, because he did not deserve to leave the club with the overarching belief being that he was a bad player.
So far this season, Gakpo has won three MOTM awards in my Player Ratings series, and I doubt it’s going to stop there. He has one goal and three assists in three games, and I really think he deserves the praise he is now getting.